Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2012
Barnacles of the superfamily Coronuloidea are obligate commensals of motile marine animals (Newman & Ross, 1976). Excepting the coronuloid genus Chelonibia Leach, the species included in this superfamily occur strictly upon marine vertebrates, particularly sea turtles and whales (Frick et al., 2011). Chelonophilic (turtle-associated) and cetophilic (whale-associated) coronuloids produce highly-ornamented shells with elaborations that enable these barnacles to grasp the skin of the host (Frick et al., 2010a). These same ornamentations are also useful characters for elucidating taxonomic affinities within the Coronuloidea (Darwin, 1854; Pilsbry, 1916; Ross & Frick, 2007).